Treat yourself to these classic Snowball Cookies! These scrumptious powdered sugar-covered pecan balls are fun and easy to make, and you'll love their buttery, nutty flavor and tender texture. The perfect Christmas cookie!
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Ginnie's Take
I love traditional holiday recipes, and these delicious Snowball Cookies are truly a classic! These popular cookies go by a few different names, including Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Butterballs, and Snowdrops (to name a few). No matter the moniker, what these pretty powdered sugar cookies all have in common is their rich, buttery, nutty flavor and tender, crumbly texture. My recipe is based on my grandmother Nona's Pecan Fingers (my favorite Christmas cookies), an easy, no-fail recipe that's simply irresistible!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Delicious Flavor + Wonderful Texture - These old fashioned, pecan studded cookies have a shortbread like texture and a rich, nutty flavor you're sure to love!
- Easy to Make - You need just a few basic ingredients for this recipe, and the cookies are fun and easy to make.
- Cute + Festive - With their adorable powdered sugar coating, these cookies look just like real snowballs. They're the perfect holiday treat!
Jump to:
Ingredients
You need just five ingredients (plus salt) to make these Christmas Snowballs:
- Flour - You'll use all-purpose flour for the cookie dough.
- Sugar - The cookies are sweetened with powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar), which gives them a tender, shortbread like texture. It's used in the dough, and to coat the cookies after they're baked.
- Butter - This recipes calls for unsalted butter.
- Nuts - Finely chopped pecans give the cookies a wonderful texture and nutty flavor. Other nuts can be used, too! Check out the Variations section below for tips.
- Vanilla - A little vanilla extract gives the cookies their classic flavor.
You'll Also Need
You will need a food processor (or nut grinder) to chop the nuts, along with a stand mixer to prepare the dough, a couple baking sheets to bake the cookies, and a wire rack for cooling them.
How to Make Pecan Snowball Cookies
These powdered sugar covered Pecan Balls are super easy to make! You'll find a detailed recipe card below, but here's a quick overview of the steps:
- Chop nuts. Start by finely chopping the nuts. A food processor works great for this, but you can also use an old fashioned nut grinder, or you can chop them by hand with a sharp knife. Make sure to chop the nuts into tiny pieces, but avoid grinding them so much that a flour / paste forms. Tip: For a warmer flavor, toast the nuts in a medium frying pan over medium heat (before grinding them). Make sure to let the nuts cool completely before you chop them and add them to the dough.
- Make dough. Next, you'll prep the dough. Start by creaming the butter and powdered sugar together. Then add the vanilla extract and water. Finally, blend in the flour, pecans, and salt. Tip: The dough is fairly thick, so a stand mixer will work best. Once the flour is blended in gradually turn up the speed, and keep mixing just until the dough comes together.
- Refrigerate dough. Shape the dough into a flat rectangle about one-inch thick, then wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. Tip: Do not skip this step, or your cookies may completely lose their shape and melt together.
- Shape cookies. Roll the dough into balls, then place them on a cookie sheet.
- Bake. Transfer the cookies to your oven, then bake them just until they're lightly browned on the bottom. Tip: This recipe uses a low baking temperature, which helps the cookies hold their shape as they bake.
- Roll in powdered sugar. Snowballs are traditionally rolled in powdered sugar twice: once while they are warm, and later after they've completely cooled. The snowy, powdered sugar coating gives them their signature look! Tip: Be gentle when rolling the cookies in the powdered sugar, so they don't crumble.
And that's all there is to it, your beautiful Snowball Cookies are ready to enjoy!
Variations
Here are a few easy tweaks you can make to the recipe:
- Nuts - Swap out the walnuts for almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts.
- Powdered Sugar - Roll the cookies in powdered sugar just once for a cookie that's less sweet. You can always test the cookies both ways to see which you prefer!
- Zest - Add a little lemon, lime, or orange zest for a bright pop of flavor.
- Spices - Mix in a teaspoon of cinnamon (or other warm spices) for a cozy taste.
Storage
Store these Christmas cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will taste freshest when eaten within a week or so. They can also be frozen for a month or two. Let the frozen cookies warm to room temperature before eating.
Related Recipes
Looking for similar recipes? Try one of these delicious Xmas cookies next:
- My Almond Crescent Cookies are another classic cookie that uses this same dough, but with different nuts!
- These unique Honey Cookies were my mom's favorite. If you're a honey lover, they are a must make.
- Cranberry fans, these delightful Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies are for you!
- These beautiful Stamped Sugar Cookies have been a favorite of Hello Little Home readers for years! Despite their intricate appearance, they are surprisingly easy to make.
- Craving chocolate? You're going to love these tasty Crinkle Cookies.
- These mouthwatering Peppermint Thumbprints are a fun twist on a traditional cookie!
Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 sticks / 8 ounces / 227 grams)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (plus additional for rolling cookies)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups finely chopped pecans (see note)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Cream butter and powdered sugar together using a stand mixer.
- Mix in vanilla extract and water.
- Add flour, pecans, and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Shape dough into a flat rectangle, then wrap in plastic wrap. Chill dough in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C).
- Divide dough into 48 equal pieces (see note below), then shape each piece into a ball. Place cookies on baking sheets, spacing them at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake cookies for 50 to 60 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned on bottom (tops of cookies should not be browned).
- Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Place about 2 cups of powdered sugar in a bowl. Gently roll cookies in sugar, coating all sides of cookie. Transfer cookies to a baking rack.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, roll them in the powdered sugar a second time. (Add more powdered sugar to your bowl, as needed).
- Serve cookies immediately, or store in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Notes
